Lulu set to release new album ‘Ndakudziwa’ in February
Malawi’s Afro-R&B singer Lawrence Khwisa, popularly known as Lulu, says his latest album, which is titled Ndakudziwa is ready for release and will hit the market mid February.
The Lilongwe-based musician disclosed this in an interview with Nyasa Times on Tuesday, further stating that the album, which is the fourth to his credit, has 10 Afro-R&B love and gospel tracks.
“Ndakudziwa is a love song on the album, which comprise love and gospel music. As you know I always sing about gospel and love, so this is just what I do in a better way for Africans,” said the singer, who is also a dancer and producer.
According to Lulu, he will be putting two singles on radio next Monday, before putting the album up for sale. The two tracks will be Mponyere and Ndzalera, which is already up on the internet for streaming.
Ndakudziwa will be coming out after Lulu last released his previous album Sindilora in 2011, and as said by the artist, it has taken more than two years to come up with the ten songs on the new album, produced and recorded by him and his Mathumela team.
“From the day I set-up my studio I have been working on them slowly, until last week when I did my last session on it,” he said.
On his touch, Lulu said: “I have always wanted to be an R&B singer but my originality as a Malawian doesn’t allow me to be 100 percent R&B, so I try to sing what a Malawian and an African ear can understand, but without losing the R&B touch,” and he jokingly added “I think I should just call it my own name one day”.
Come of age
With the fourth album, Lulu now takes himself as an artist who is well matured in music, in terms of lyrical content and production and he said Malawians should be looking forward to having the best album in Ndakudziwa.
With poise, he said, during the interview that “this album is the best album and I wish we had proper awards in Malawi, tinakati titenga [I would have said I would get one].”
He added: “This [album] is so different and it’s a blow to those artists who try to sing like me, it’s totally different but in a same way.”
Some of the other songs on the latest album include Mlondore, Ndinena, Kwatsalaku and You came, a dancehall song he featured another Lilongwe-based artist known as Rejected.
And paying tribute to his friends who passed away in the year 2012, Lulu has included a song in the album titled Abwino, dedicated to late Fraser Likonde, Lovemore Mwanyama, Ken Khuma, Ken Siyabu and Zondi C.
Lulu, who many people have described as one of the best musicians on the Malawian music scene, came in the limelight in the early 2000s when he released his pioneering R&B song Magwiragwira.
Other albums by the artist include Mbambande (2003), Kumalembe (2008) and Sindilora. He is well known for hits such as Magwiragwira, Tsogolo, Palibe Bvuto and Mwachenjera Darling.
The artist has also worked in many studios as a producer and session artist. He has produced for a lot of local musicians including Lucius Banda, Mlaka Maliro, Skeffa Chimoto, Rejected and Dan Lu, just to mention a few.
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